AO入試の何が変わり，何が変わらなかったか : 広島大学AO入試の10年 <ノート>

広島大学でAO入試を開始して10年、この間、導入当初の制度設計から変更した点もあれば、現在に至るまで変わらない点もある。大学入試センター試験を課す入試方式（AO入試Ⅱ型）への移行や入試期間の短縮等当初から変更した点は、より適切な入試制度として変更が求められたものであり、入試時期等当初からずっと変わらなかった点は、本学のAO入試制度として適切であったものと言える。このような観点からの入試制度の検証と入学者の学業成績の追跡調査等から、現時点での本学のAO入試の成果と課題をまとめる

ハワイ州における高大連携プログラム <ノート>

米国では、現在、初等教育から高等教育までのシームレスな接続をめざす「P-16（またはK-16, P-20）」と呼ばれる教育政策が多くの州において展開されている。広島県の公立高校と姉妹校締結を行っているハワイ州の高校における高大接続に関する調査の際に、P-20（ハワイ州）プログラムについて調査を行う機会を得た。米国全体における最近の状況とハワイ州における状況についてその特徴を分析し、我が国における高大連携及び高大接続への示唆を検討したい。本研究はJSPS科研費 23653268 の助成を受けたものである

Pediatric moyamoya disease presenting with intracerebral hemorrhage--report of three cases and review of the literature.

Intracerebral hemorrhage in patients with moyamoya disease is rare in children. We report three unique cases of pediatric moyamoya disease with hemorrhagic onset. Two 7-year-old girls and a 9-year-old girl were admitted to our hospital because of intracerebral hemorrhage associated with angiographically verified moyamoya disease. Two of them did not demonstrate either an ischemic episode or cerebral infarct on the magnetic resonance images. A decreased regional cerebral blood flow was revealed on single photon emission computed tomography in two patients, who developed cerebral infarction in the acute stage following hemorrhage. They underwent superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery anastomoses combined with encephalo-myo-synangiosis, and have not experienced any further ischemic episodes thereafter. Hemodynamic insufficiency associated with moyamoya disease could cause intracerebral hemorrhage even in children. Adequate management in the acute stage of hemorrhage and revascularization surgery are recommended to prevent cerebral infarction, which may easily occur in pediatric patients with moyamoya disease

Carotid artery stenting via a femoral bypass graft: technical note.

BACKGROUND: We described a case of endoluminal stent placement for a cervical internal carotid artery stenosis in which access was obtained via the femoral bypass graft. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 70-year-old man with known disease of the carotid, peripheral, and coronary arteries as well as congestive heart failure presented for endoluminal revascularization of a severe right internal carotid artery stenosis. Transradial access was complicated by the left subclavian artery occlusion and hypercalcified aortic arch. Bilateral femoral artery was replaced with bypass graft because of atherosclerosis obliterans. An alternative approach was attempted via the exposed left femoral bypass graft. The left inguinal region was incised, and the left common femoral-popliteal bypass graft was exposed. After placement of a purse string suture at the puncture site, the guiding sheath was introduced into the graft and positioned into the right common carotid artery. Stenting was successfully performed, and the suture was tied after withdrawing the sheath. CONCLUSIONS: This novel approach should be considered for endovascular procedures for which access to the carotid artery is limited

Fermi surface of Mo(112) and indirect interaction between adsorbed atoms

A comprehensive examination of the Fermi surface of Mo(112) is presented. The Fermi surface contours for the Mo(112) surface, obtained by density functional theory calculations, agree well with the direct observations via angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and indicate the existence of flattened segments in the Fermi contours perpendicular to the direction of the atomic furrows. Both the calculation and the experiment indicate significant surface weight for these states. Such flattened Fermi contours at the surface can give rise to long-range charge density waves (CDW) and long-range indirect lateral interactions, especially in the case of adsorption of electropositive atoms. When mediated by the surface electrons, exhibiting flattened Fermi contours, the oscillatory potential of the indirect interaction between adsorbed atoms decays very slowly (∼1/r) in the direction along the furrows, which can explain the formation of long-period chain structures of electropositive adsorbates on the furrowed surface of Mo(112)

Histological heterogeneity of glomerular segmental lesions in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) involves considerable histological heterogeneity in terms of location and quality of the glomerular segmental lesions. The present study investigated the heterogeneity of segmental lesions in each variant of FSGS, determined by the Columbia classification, and its clinical relevance. All glomerular segmental lesions of 80 cases of primary FSGS were evaluated histologically based on location [tip (TIP), perihilar (PH), or not otherwise specified (NOS)], and quality (cellular or fibrous). Among the 1,299 glomeruli of the 80 biopsy specimens, 210 glomeruli (16.2%) had segmental lesions, comprising 57 (27%) cellular TIP, 4 (2%) fibrous TIP, 42 (20%) cellular NOS, 86 (41%) fibrous NOS, and 21 (10%) fibrous PH lesions. Each case was also classified into one of the five histological variants of the Columbia classification: collapsing (COL), TIP, cellular (CEL), PH, or NOS. Overlap of segmental lesions in different location categories was seen in the COL, TIP, and PH variants, and heterogeneity of quality was apparent in the COL and CEL variants. Histological findings of the CEL variant (endocapillary hypercellularity) were observed in nine of the 13 COL variants. Both location and quality correlated with disease duration, degree of proteinuria, and histological severity of global glomerular sclerosis and tubulo-interstitial lesions. These results demonstrated the histological heterogeneity of glomerular segmental lesions in all variants of the Columbia classification, except NOS. However, the fidelity of location and dominance of histological features were generally conserved in the TIP and PH variants. The COL and CEL variants warrant further investigation because of their overlapping histological findings and apparent histological heterogeneity in the glomerular segmental lesions

The activation mechanism of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) by molecular chaperone HSP90

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily that associates with the molecular chaperone HSP90 in the cytoplasm. The activation mechanism of the AhR is not yet fully understood. It has been proposed that after binding of ligands such as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), 3methylcholanthrene (3-MC), or β-naphthoflavone (β-NF), the AhR dissociates from HSP90 and translocates to the nucleus. It has also been hypothesized that the AhR translocates to the nucleus and forms a complex with HSP90 and other co-chaperones. There are a few reports about the direct association or dissociation of AhR and HSP90 due to difficulties in purifying AhR. We constructed and purified the PAS domain from AhR. Binding of the AhR-PAS domain to β-NF affinity resin suggested that it possesses ligand-binding affinity. We demonstrated that the AhR-PAS domain binds to HSP90 and the association is not affected by ligand binding. The ligand 17-DMAG inhibited binding of HSP90 to GST-PAS. In an immunoprecipitation assay, HSP90 was co-immunoprecipitated with AhR both in the presence or absence of ligand. Endogenous AhR decreased in the cytoplasm and increased in the nucleus of HeLa cells 15. min after treatment with ligand. These results suggested that the ligand-bound AhR is translocated to nucleus while in complex with HSP90.We used an in situ proximity ligation assay to confirm whether AhR was translocated to the nucleus alone or together with HSP90. HSP90 was co-localized with AhR after the nuclear translocation. It has been suggested that the ligand-bound AhR was translocated to the nucleus with HSP90. Activated AhR acts as a transcription factor, as shown by the transcription induction of the gene CYP1A1 8. h after treatment with β-NF

Structural basis for channel conduction in the pump-like channelrhodopsin ChRmine

新規光駆動型イオンチャネルの構造解明と高性能分子ツールの創出 --神経科学に光を当てる--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-02-03.ChRmine, a recently discovered pump-like cation-conducting channelrhodopsin, exhibits puzzling properties (large photocurrents, red-shifted spectrum, and extreme light sensitivity) that have created new opportunities in optogenetics. ChRmine and its homologs function as ion channels but, by primary sequence, more closely resemble ion pump rhodopsins; mechanisms for passive channel conduction in this family have remained mysterious. Here, we present the 2.0 Å resolution cryo-EM structure of ChRmine, revealing architectural features atypical for channelrhodopsins: trimeric assembly, a short transmembrane-helix 3, a twisting extracellular-loop 1, large vestibules within the monomer, and an opening at the trimer interface. We applied this structure to design three proteins (rsChRmine and hsChRmine, conferring further red-shifted and high-speed properties, respectively, and frChRmine, combining faster and more red-shifted performance) suitable for fundamental neuroscience opportunities. These results illuminate the conduction and gating of pump-like channelrhodopsins and point the way toward further structure-guided creation of channelrhodopsins for applications across biology

Early intervention to promote oral feeding in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage: a retrospective cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Stroke is a major cause of dysphagia, but little is known about when and how dysphagic patients should be fed and treated after an acute stroke. The purpose of this study is to establish the feasibility, risks and clinical outcomes of early intensive oral care and a new speech and language therapist/nurse led structured policy for oral feeding in patients with an acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 219 patients with spontaneous ICH who were admitted to our institution from 2004 to 2007 were retrospectively analyzed. An early intervention program for oral feeding, which consisted of intensive oral care and early behavioral interventions, was introduced from April 2005 and fully operational by January 2006. Outcomes were compared between an early intervention group of 129 patients recruited after January 2006 and a historical control group of 90 patients recruited between January 2004 and March 2005. A logistic regression technique was used to adjust for baseline differences between the groups. To analyze time to attain oral feeding, the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard model were used.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The proportion of patients who could tolerate oral feeding was significantly higher in the early intervention group compared with the control group (112/129 (86.8%) vs. 61/90 (67.8%); odds ratio 3.13, 95% CI, 1.59-6.15; P < 0.001). After adjusting for baseline imbalances, the odds ratio was 4.42 (95% CI, 1.81-10.8; P = 0.001). The incidence of chest infection was lower in the early intervention group compared with the control group (27/129 (20.9%) vs. 32/90 (35.6%); odds ratio 0.48, 95% CI, 0.26-0.88; P = 0.016). A log-rank test found a significant difference in nutritional supplementation-free survival between the two groups (hazard ratio 1.94, 95% CI, 1.46-2.71; P < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our data suggest that the techniques can be used safely and possibly with enough benefit to justify a randomized controlled trial. Further investigation is needed to solve the eating problems that are associated with patients recovering from a severe stroke.</p